The United States and France have been linked since the birth of our nation over 240 years ago when Lafayette (America’s favorite fighting Frenchman!) & the French military helped us win our independence from the English. A few years later when the French called on us to help with their revolution we were very conflicted, and if you’ve memorized “Cabinet Battle #2” from Hamilton like we have you’ll remember that Washington had Hamilton draft a statement of neutrality. But what made us question whether the people were leading or rioting during the French Revolution?

You might think about checking Les Miserables for the answers, but contrary to popular belief when you heard those people sing it was about the July Revolution of 1830 not the French Revolution. Cut to a few decades earlier: The Seven Years War & American Revolution had placed the country in debt, harvests had been poor for years prior to 1789, and the French people didn’t appreciate the privilege gap between the classes. (Sound familiar?) So the French took up arms and did something about it. The first major conflict in the decade-long revolution was the storming of the Bastille, a medieval fortress being used as a prison, on July 14 1789. This day is now celebrated in France every year as quatorze juillet (14th of July) or simply the fête nationale (National Celebration). Here in the US we celebrate it as Bastille Day!

Eventually we were able to return the support the French provided to our revolution during World War II, when we helped them end the German occupation in France. Which brings us to An American in Paris: the story of a young American soldier who decides to stay in Paris as an artist after World War II, told to the tune of Ira & George Gershwin.

An American in Paris plays at the Oriental Theatre from July 25 – August 13 and tickets are available now at broadwayinchicago.com

To learn more about Bastille Day and the French Revolution, see the links below!

– “The King and I” won the 1952 Tony-Award for Best Musical. It’s amazing to think that 63 years later, and it still has such resonance and poignancy to be revived and nominated again!

– “On The Town” is based off of a 1944 ballet called “Fancy Free,” which was developed by Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins.

– The original Broadway production of “On The Twentieth Century” opened on February 19, 1978 at the St. James Theatre. Judy Kaye replaced Madeline Kahn only 9 weeks into performances which turned her into an overnight star.

These are the productions nominated for Best Musical:

Here are a few more fun facts:

– In the film version of “An American in Paris,” the climax of the film is a 16 minutes ballet featuring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron set to Gershwin’s An American in Paris. The ballet alone cost more than $500,000.

– “Fun Home” is based off the graphic memoir by American writer Alison Bechdel, and it stirred such controversy that a public library in Missouri once removed it from its shelves for five months after complaints from its residents.

– Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, the creators of “Something Rotten!”, are also known for their work in the stop-motion animated film, “Chicken Run.”

– The musical adaptation of “The Visit” originally starred Angela Lansbury, and had planned to open on Broadway March 15, 2001. However, in July 2000, Lansbury withdrew from the show because of the death of her husband.

– Michael Cerveris has performed in many Stephen Sondheim musicals such as “Assassins,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Road Show,” and “Passion.” He then won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for “Assassins.”

– Robert Fairchild’s sister is NYCB Principal Dancer Megan Fairchild, who is currently starring in Broadway’s “On the Town.”

– Brian d’Arcy James originated the role of Frederick Barrett in the musical “Titanic” and also originated the role of Sidney in “Sweet Smell of Success in 2002 for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

– You know actor Ken Watanabe from many films such as “Memoirs of a Geisha,” “The Last Samurai,” “Inception,” and “The Unbroken.”

Here are the women nominated for “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play” and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical”:

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

Geneva Carr, “Hand to God”

Helen Mirren, “The Audience”

Elisabeth Moss, “The Heidi Chronicles”

Carey Mulligan, “Skylight”

Ruth Wilson, “Constellations”

Here are a few fun facts:

– Geneva Carr is making her Broadway debut at age 44 in “Hand to God,” but you’d also recognize her recurring role as the mom in the AT&T Mobility phone commercials.

– Helen Mirren has played a Queen a total of six times: The Queen (2006), Elizabeth I (2005), The Prince of Egypt (1998), The Snow Queen (1995), The Madness of King George (1994), and Caligola (1979).

– You know Elisabeth Moss best from her portrayal as Peggy Olson on the AMC series “Mad Men.”

– Carey Mulligan’s Broadway debut was in a 2008 production of Chekhov’s “The Seagull.”

– Ruth Wilson won the Golden Globe for best actress in a TV drama for her role in “The Affair” and days later made her Broadway debut in “Constellations.”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

Kristin Chenoweth, “On the Twentieth Century”

Leanne Cope, “An American in Paris”

Beth Malone, “Fun Home”

Kelli O’Hara, “The King and I”

Chita Rivera, “The Visit”

Here are a few more fun facts:

– Kristin Chenoweth’s birth name is Kristi Dawn. She became “Kristin” when her musical theater teacher at Oklahoma City University, Florence Birdwell, suggested adding the “n” to make it sound more professional.

– Leanne Cope is currently on leave from London’s Royal Ballet to be performing in “An American In Paris.”

– Beth Malone made her Broadway debut in “Ring of Fire,” which played at the Barrymore Theatre in 2006.

– This year marks Kelli O’Hara’s 6th Tony nomination. Her previous nominations have been for her performances in “The Light in the Piazza,” “The Pajama Game,” “South Pacific,” “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” and “The Bridges of Madison County.”

– Chita Rivera has gained 9 Tony Award nominations throughout her career, with two wins for “The Rink” and “Kiss of the Spider Woman.”